The Dogs of War (episode)
Kira, Damar, and Garak are ambushed on Cardassia; Quark receives a message from Grand Nagus Zek appointing him the next leader of the Ferengi Alliance. (Part 8 of 9) Summary Admiral Ross presents Captain Sisko with a new Defiant class starship, the USS São Paulo. On the surface, the ship looks identical to the Defiant, recently destroyed in the Second Battle of Chin'toka. However, this new vessel is newly equiped with cutting-edge Starfleet technology to counteract the Breen energy dampening weapon. As the crew become acquainted with their new 'friend', Ross also leaves Sisko special orders to rename the vessel Defiant, in honor of their recently lost ship. Aboard the Jem'Hadar ship, Kira, Garak and Damar approach Cardassia Prime. With plans to unite the people and the Cardassian military against the Dominion, they beam down to the planet, leaving the ship in Seskal's hands. However, they arrive at the beam-down coordinates on a cave ledge, overlooking a massacre: Cardassian resistance fighters are being shot dead by Jem'Hadar warriors. In orbit, Seskal's vessel is destroyed by Jem'Hadar fighters, stranding Kira, Garak and Damar on Cardassia Prime. They decide to stealthily proceed to the Cardassian Capitol, to the house where Garak grew up. His father, he reveals, was the head of the Obsidian Order, who never publicly recognized Garak as his own son. Mila, the head of housekeeping, provides them a safe haven in the basement; they politely ask her for a communication device, and begin cleaning their new headquarters. In the Infirmary on Deep Space 9, Doctor Bashir informs Odo that Section 31 infected him with the morphogenic virus that is plaguing his people, the Changelings, and that Odo had transmitted the virus to them, not the other way around. Odo expresses his disgust with the situation, but promises to not cause any problems. As Leeta and M'Pella, another Dabo girl, ask Quark for a pay raise, Quark retires into his office to answer an incoming call from Grand Nagus Zek on Ferenginar. The Nagus, over a shaky, tenuous communications channel, informs Quark that he is retiring to Risa with Ishka, Quark's mother. He then shocks Quark by apparently naming Quark his successor as the next Grand Nagus, in between static breakups of his transmission. Julian and Ezri Dax, who have been tiptoeing on eggshells around one another, finally get a chance to speak to one another openly; they express their common attraction to one another, but agree to remain just friends. As Quark revels in fantasies of wealthy extravagances, Brunt appears -- without his usual swagger -- at Quark's Bar. Quark confirms the rumor of him being the successor to the Nagus. Brunt, completely out of character, kneels and begin kissing Quark's hand, heaping praise upon his new Nagus. Meanwhile, on Cardassia Prime, Weyoun broadcasts to all the population the news of Damar's "death", even as Damar listens to the message from the basement cellar. Weyoun's report that the Dominion has destroyed all 18 Cardassian rebel bases is a bitter pill for the trio to swallow. Also, the trio are unable to contact the Federation to be retrieved, as a signal strong enough to reach would be easily traced. The news devastates Damar; Kira, unwilling to spend the rest of the war in a cellar, tries to stir Damar to action, with Garak helping persuade him of his important role in the rebellion. Brunt, who is graciously giving Quark a pedicure, shocks Quark by informing him of recent social reforms on Ferenginar, including the introduction of taxes to finance welfare programmes. Quark vows to enact sweeping changes, but is informed by Brunt that the position of Nagus is now on equal terms with a "Congress of Economic Advisors", which must ratify any legislation proposed by the Nagus. Quark worries about the future challenges facing the next Nagus. Weyoun introduces Legate Broca, the new leader of the Cardassian people. He pledges his loyalty to the Founders and the Breen. The Female Changeling orders a fighting withdrawl, insisting to the Breen Thot Gor that it is not a surrender, just a chance to regroup and eventually redouble their shipbuilding and replenishment efforts. Quark spontaneously sells Quark's Bar to brother Rom for 5,000 bars of latinum, without haggling over the price. When he realizes this fact, and the fact that he has been considering Leeta's request for a raise, Quark suddenly realizes his own leniency, and how soft he has become. He compares this to the reforms which have "come to ail" Ferenginar, pledging a return to the old, traditional ways once he gains power. Garak plants an explosive device in a Jem'Hadar barracks, but he is detained by Jem'Hadar guards while attempting to leave. With a three-minute fuse delay, Damar and Kira come to his rescue, killing one guard; Garak quickly slips a knife through the other Jem'Hadar guard's throat. The blast from the explosion draws a crowd, who quickly recognize Damar. He unites the throng with a speech, stirring them to join the rebellion against the Dominion. Julian and Ezri, still agreeing to remain friends, both board the turbolift for Ops; but by the time they reach Ops, then are locked in a passionate embrace, obviously disregarding their friends-only stance. When Grand Nagus Zek and Ishka arrive at Quark's Bar, they are befuddled by Quark's statements; disregarding him, they turn to Rom, and announce him as the next Nagus. (Zek, in the garbled transmission a few days earlier, had mistakenly thought he was speaking to Rom, not Quark.) Rom is to be the next Nagus -- and Ishka takes the credit for the idea, reminding Quark how he has always underestimated his brother. It seems her influence over Zek has spread to more than just social reform. Quark is astounded at the sudden turn of events, even more so when Rom happily gives Quark the bar back for free. Realising that Rom is the perfect leader for the new Ferengi society, his bar will stay exactly the same. The drinks will continue to be watered down, the dabo tables will still be rigged, the staff will continue to be under-paid and overworked. Quark's Bar will be the last outpost of the old Ferengi. Never the less, Quark cannot help but be delighted for his brother. While Quark returns to running the bar, the unassuming Rom begins his new tenure as Grand Nagus. His son Nog escorts the unabashed Brunt away from him, to stave off Brunt's corrupting influence. As his loving wife Leeta embraces him and wishes him good luck, Rom is left pondering his uncertain future as he tries out the Cane of the Grand Nagus for the first time, offering only a soft-spoken "wow". In the DS9 briefing room, Sisko, Ross, Romulan Subcommander Velal, and Klingon Chancellor Martok discuss the Dominion's pullback and their new defensive perimeter. While Velal believes that containment will weaken the Dominion, Martok counters that the Dominion now has less territory to defend, and retreating allows them to shorten supply lines, while the Allies would have to lenghthen theirs. Sisko also argues that the Dominion can sit happily behind their borders, building vessels and cloning soldiers for the next few years, until they eventually launch a new offensive that would spell certain defeat for the Alliance. Starfleet and the Klingon Empire vote to attack, and Velal, in light of the argument, agrees despite the cost that a full-scale invasion will incur. After the briefing, Benjamin returns to his quarters to find his wife Kasidy still awake on the couch. She is pregnant, she announces. While happy, she is unsure of the future, given the Bajoran prophets' warning to Benjamin, the Emissary of the Prophets, to walk his path alone. The loving couple comforts one another, while on the horizon is end of the Dominion War, and the release of the Pah-wraiths... Memorable Quotes "The ''glamor of being a revolutionary."'' : - Garak, while hiding as a fugitive in a basement, after Kira tosses him a cloth to do some cleaning "My greed has to be a shining light to everyone, a testament to the rewards of avarice." : - Quark, if he were to become the next Nagus "It's never too early to suck up to the boss!" : - Brunt "You should hear the stories. "Damar's alive, my cousin saw him on Kelvas Prime." "He faked his own death. He's plotting a new offensive from his secret mountain hideaway." "You didn't tell me you had a secret mountain hideaway." "I thought I'd surprise you." :-'Mila', Garak, and Damar "Perish the thought; the Dominion has never surrendered in battle since its founding 10,000 years ago." : - Weyoun "Once we've established the new perimeter, we'll redouble our shipbuilding efforts and increase production of Jem'Hadar troops. Retreat may extend the war by several years, but in the end, we will emerge stronger, and in a far better position to take the Alpha Quadrant once and for all." : - Female Changeling "Taxes go against the very foundation of free economics! That's why its called 'free'!" : - Quark "Whatever happened to the survival of the fittest? Whatever happened to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer? Whatever happened to pure, unaldultered greed?" : - Quark "I won't preside over the demise of Ferengi civilization! ... The line must be drawn here! This far, and no further!" : - Quark (A joke reference to Picard's famous line from Star Trek: First Contact) "Citizens of Cardassia, hear me! The Dominion told you that the rebellion has been crushed. What you have seen here today proves that that is yet another lie. Our fight for feedom continues! But it will take place here in the streets. I call on Cardassians everywhere to rise up, rise up and join me! I need you to be my army! If we stand together, nothing can oppose us. Freedom is ours for the taking!" : - Damar "This is insane. You ACTUALLY want Rom to be Nagus?" : - Quark "In fact, as far as I'm concerned, the Ferenginar that I knew doesn't exist anymore. No, I take that back, it WILL exist. Right here in this bar. This establishment will be the last outpost of what made Ferenginar great." : - Quark (Less-than-coincidentally, the first appearance of the Ferengi was in TNG: "The Last Outpost".) "You're my brother." "And YOU'RE an idiot!" : - Rom, Quark "They could sit behind those lines for five years, rearming. And God help us when they do decide to attack."'' : - '''Captain Sisko Background Information *This episode marks the final appearance on the show of several recurring actors and their characters: Max Grodénchik (Rom), Chase Masterson (Leeta), Wallace Shawn (Zek), Cecily Adams (Ishka), Tiny Ron (Maihar'Du) and Jeffrey Combs (Brunt, although he plays Weyoun in "What You Leave Behind"). David B. Levinson and Cathy Debuono also make their last appearances as their background characters Broik and M'Pella. For their last episode they were all given the honor of being able to speak. *Quark's speech about Ferengi values and how "the line must be drawn here" was a deliberate imitation of Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: First Contact. *Although the stars of a series will occassionally play dual roles, this episode features a guest star (Jeffrey Combs) playing the dual roles of Weyoun and Brunt. This is evidenced plainly when the scene suddenly transitions from Quark's Place (with Brunt kissing Quark's hand, lavishing him with praise) to Cardassia Prime (with Weyoun addressing the entire population with a speech extolling the Dominion). *This episode takes its name from the play "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare. In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, General Chang quoted the same line. The line is "...and Caesar’s ghost, roaming about in search of revenge, with hate at his side still hot from hell, will in these boundaries with a ruler’s voice cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war, so that this terrible action will smell above the earth, with rotting corpses, begging to be buried." *This is the last episode of the series to have music composed by David Bell. *Like Avery Brooks, Patrick Stewart also directed the penultimate episode of his series, Star Trek: The Next Generation. He directed "Preemptive Strike". *Stephen Yoakam reprises his role as Velal from "When It Rains...". His character was named in the script of this episode. Links and References Guest Stars *Penny Johnson as Kasidy Yates *Andrew Jordt Robinson as Elim Garak *Jeffrey Combs as Weyoun and Brunt *Max Grodénchik as Rom *Casey Biggs as Damar *Barry Jenner as William Ross *Cecily Adams as Ishka *J.G. Hertzler as Martok *Chase Masterson as Leeta *Aron Eisenberg as Nog *Julianna McCarthy as Mila *Tiny Ron as Maihar'Du *Salome Jens as Female Changeling Special Guest Star *Wallace Shawn as Zek Co-Stars *Mel Johnson, Jr. as Broca *Vaughn Armstrong as Seskal *Stephen Yoakam as Velal *Paul S. Eckstein as Jem'Hadar *David B. Levinson as Broik *Cathy Debuono as M'Pella *LeRoy D. Brazile as Lonar *Majel Barrett as Federation computer voice *Mark Allen Shepherd as Morn (uncredited) References 47; Alpha Quadrant; Atbar Prime; Brazil; Breen; Breen Confederacy; Breen warship; Blessed Exchequer; bribe; Cardassia Prime; Cardassian Rebellion; Cardassian Union; carpet; Chief of Starfleet Operations; command code; Congress of Economic Advisors; dabo girl; dabo table; Deep Space 9; [[USS Defiant (NCC-75633)|USS Defiant (NCC-75633)]]; Defiant class; democracy; Divine Treasury; Dominion; electrostatic cloud; energy dampening weapon; Federation Council; Ferengi; Ferenginar; Founder; First; free enterprise; genocide; Goris; Grand Nagus; Infirmary; Jem'Hadar; Jem'Hadar attack ship; Jem'Hadar battlecruiser; Kelvas Prime; Klingon; Klingon Empire; latinum; Liquidator; Nagal Residence; orbit; orbital traffic control; monopoly; morphogenic virus; Obsidian Order; power plant; Pran; Prophets; Quark's; Quinor VII; reform; Regulak IV; Revok; Risa; Romulan; Rules of Acquisition; [[USS São Paulo|USS São Paulo]]; Section 31; Seltan; Sickbay; Simperia; Tain, Enabran; tax; Thot; Tower of Commerce; United Federation of Planets * 47 references Dogs of War, The de:In den Wirren des Krieges nl:The Dogs of War